Electric-motor controller.



No. 678,664. Patented luly 1a, ism.

n. .1. HAUSS. ELEOTRIO MOTOR CONTROLLER.

A nmion filed Mar. 5, 1901. (No Model.)

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No. 678,664. Patented July :6, I90l. u. .1. HAUSS. ELECTRIC MOTOR 0NTROLLEK (Applicution filed In. 5, 1901.) (No Model.) 3 Sheata-$hoet 2.

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' Patented July l6. l90l.

. O. J. HAUSS.

ELECTRIC MOTOR CONTROLLER.

(Application filed Mar. 5, 1901.)

(No llodel.) 3 Sheots$haet 3.

UNrTEn TATES ATENT Orsrca.

DAVID J. HAUSS, OF'CINOINNATI, OHIO, ASSIGNOR OF ONE-HALF TO JOHN J- CUSHING, OF SAME PLACE.

SPECIFICATION forming part of Letters Patent No. 678,664, dated July 16, 1901. Application filed March 5, 1901. semi No. 49,682. (No model.)

To all whom it may concern.-

Be it known that I, DAVID J. HAUSS, a citizen of the United States, residing at Cincinnati, in the county of Hamilton and State of Ohio, have invented certain new and useful Improvements in Electric-Motor Controllers and I do hereby declare the following to be a full, clear, and exact description of the invention, such as will enable others skilled in the art to which it appertains to make and use the same.

My invention relates to improvements in electrical controllers for streetrailway and other motors; and one of its objects is to prevent sparking and'burning of contacts of the controllers,-the motors, and connections and preventing destruction of insulation.

Another object is to provide an improved controller for directing the current through the motors.

Another object is to provide a controller which dispenses with dead resistance and employs only live resistance in controlling the motors, thereby simplifying the apparatus.

Another object is to provide a more simple and reliable controller and reversing mechanism.

Another object is to provide a tripping de vice whereby the controller-lever can only be thrown one notch at a time, thereby preventing a jerky movement of the car and an undue strain on the motors and car.

My invention also consists in certain details of form, combination, and arrangement, all of which will be more fully set forth in the description of the accompanying drawings, in which- Figure 1 is a diagram of the controller, mo tors, reversing switches, connections, and other mechanism as employed in connection with my improved controller. Fig. 2 is a diagram of the motors, showing the successive connections effected by the controller. Fig. 3 is a horizontal sectional View through the controller-box, showing the arrangement of the contacts therein. Fig. l is a section on line 2 z of Fig. 5, showing the automatic circuit-breaking mechanism. Fig. 5'is a plan View of the lower carbon andmagnetic blowout coil of the same. Fig. 6 is a plan View of the mechanism for dogging the controller to changing from each system of connections to the succeeding one there is a tendency to spark and are across the various connections, as well as to destroy the insulation of the motors, which has been prevented heretofore by the introduction of dead resistance into the circuit during the transition. By means of. the controller herein described I dispense with this dead resistance as well as the necessity of carrying the same on the car and the mechanism for cutting it into and out of the circuit.

E represents a cylinder, of insulating material, (see Fig. 3,) mounted on a stem E, which is journaled in the controller-box I.

A B O D represent respective series or sets of contact-blocks, which are bedded into the cylinder E and adapted to be turned so as to bring any one of said sets of contacts beneath the contact blocks or brushes 1 2 3 to 15, which are stationary, being held in contact with the surface of the cylinder by means of spring-arms F.

G represents a cylinder j ournaled on a stem G and carrying a series of contacts J J ,which when the switch-lever H is turned are adapted to alternately contact with the brushes or blocks 16 to 23, which serves to reverse the direction of the motors. As the motors can be safely reversed only when the current is cut ofi, I provide a disk K, mounted on the shaft of the controller-cylinderand provided with a notch K.

L represents a disk in the same horizontal plane as the disk K and mounted on the shaft of the reversing-switch. The disk L is provided with two notches L, so arranged that the controller can be turned when either of the notches L is opposite the periphery of the disk K and so that the disk L and reversing-switch can only be turned when the notch K is in the position shown in Fig. 3 and the current out 01f from the motors.

In order to prevent the controller-lever from being turned two or more notches or spaces at a time while applying the current, I provide a dogging mechanism, which in its preferred form consists of a series of pawls M, pivoted to an annular frame M at one end and provided at their free ends with springs N to normally hold the free ends of the pawls against the stop-pins N, which brings the free ends of the pawls into the path of a finger or arm 0, which projects from and travels with the stem E. O represents a roller which is pivoted at the end of the stem P of a dash-pot plunger P, which is adapted to reciprocate in the cylinder Q. Q represents a spring forcing the plunger out. It represents the cylinder-head, which is provided with an air-escape passage R, the orifice in which is regulated by means of the screw S. 8 represents a valve in the plunger to permit the ready introduction of air in front of the plunger. U represents an annular camsurface, against which the roller 0 bears. This mechanism is preferably located near the bottom of the controller-box, but may be located just beneath the top or cover, if desired. It is also evident that the dash-pot and other mechanism might be set vertically, if desired.

U represents a set-screw seating in a groove in the face of the plunger to prevent the same from turning in the cylinder Q.

As the controller-lever is turned the finger O strikes the end of the first pawl, bringing the controller-lever to a stop, the spring Q, however, acting upon the plunger P, causing the air to escape from the forward end of the cylinder Q, whereupon the roller 0, which is opposite a notch in the cam-face U, forces the pawl back out of the path of the finger O, permitting the controller to be turned another notch, the interval of time elapsing being sufficient to permit the motors and car to acquire a velocity suitable for the introduction of a heavier current.

As shown in Fig. 1, the several series of contacts A B G D are adapted to be successively brought into contact with the brushes or contacts to 15. Then the contacts 1 to are in contact with the series A, the motors and their fields are all connected up in series, as shown in the upper diagram of Fig. 2, and the current travels as follows: from the linewire through the trolley T to brush 11, thence by wire 2% through the field-coil 25, returning to brush 13 through sliding contacts 26 27 to brush 12, wire 28 through fieldcoil 29 to brush l-it, through the sliding contacts 30 31 and brush 15 and wire 32 to switchbrush 22, by contact J, brush 23, and wire 33 through armature to brush 20, through contacts J, brush 21, and wire 35 to brush 5, through contacts 36 37, brush 6, wire 38, and

field-coil 39 to brush 8, through contacts 39 40, brush 7, wire a1, and field-coil 12 to brush 9, through contacts 43 at to brush 10, wire 45 to brush 18, through contacts J, brush 19, wire 46, and armature 47 to brush 16, through contacts J to brush 17, and wire 48 to brush t. From brush 1 the current passes to the blocks i9 50 51 52 to brush 1 and thence to the earth at E.

It will be noted that the blocks 19, 50, 51, and 52 are successively narrower and that as these blocks turn under the brushes the contact through 52 and 1 is first broken, the current being maintained through 51 2 and the magnetic blow-out coil 53 to 1 and the earth. As contact is broken at 51 and 2 the current is maintained through 50 3, theline 51-, the supplemental field-coils 55, the blow-out coil 53, and brush 1 to the earth. As the contact is broken at 50 and 3 the current is established through 49 4., line 56, the carbons 57 58, the magnetic coil 59, brush 3, line 54, coils 55 and 53 to brush 1 and the earth, the passage of the current through coils 55 increasing the density of the magnetic field, which increases the counter electromotive force in the armatures, while the magnetic blow-out coil, which may consist of one or more sections wherever needed, serves to prevent and to break any are formed, while the current as soon as it passes through the coil 59 pulls down the armature or solenoid 60, thereby creating a gap and are between the carbons 57 58, which is acted upon by the blow-out coil 53 to break the arc and cut off the current, after which the carbons 57 58 automatically come together and establish connection between 3 and at ready for another operation.

When the series of contacts 13 are moved opposite the brushes 1 to 15, the motors are connected up in parallel, as indicated in the second diagram of Fig. 2, in which case the current travels as follows: from T to 11, where it branches,one branch passing th rough 24: 25 13 63 to 64: and the other branch through 61 62 12 28 29 14C to 6 1, thence by single line through 15 22 23 33 3st 20 21 5 to 66, where it again branches, one branch passing through 67 6 38 39 8 to 68, the other branch passing through 67 7 11 42 9 to 69, thence by single line through 70 1O 15 18 19 16 4:7 16 17 to 4:, and by 71. 72 73 74 to 1.

When the series of contacts 0 is moved opposite the brushes 1 to 15, the motors are connected up as indicated in the third diagram of Fig. 2, in which case the current is established as follows: It branches at 11, one line being through 24 25 13 75 76 12 28 29 1 1 77 78 15 22 23 33 3t 20 21 35 to 5. The other line passes from 11 to 79 8O 81 82 83 6 38 39 8 8 1 85741 129 86 8710 18 19 46 1716 l7to l,

and thence the two lines pass together through 88 89 90 91 92 to 1.

Nhen the series D is moved opposite the brushes 1 to 15, the motors are connected up as indicated in the lower diagram of Fig. 2, and the current travels as follows: Four branches are formed, the first from 11 through 24, 25 13 to 93, the second from 11 through 96 12 28 29 to let and 94, thence the first and second jointly through 15 22 23 33 34 20 21 35 to 5. The third branch passes from 11 through 80 81 7 41 42 9 96 to 97. The fourth branch passes from 11 through 80 81 82 0 38 39 8 to 98. Thence branches three and four pass jointly from 97 through 10 18 19 4:6 4:7 16 17 18 to 4, and thence all the branches pass through 99 100 101 102 103 to 1.

Each time as the brushes leave the upper blocks of the series A B O D the successive brushes 1 2 3 are cut out one at a time and the current broken by the automatic circuitbreaker before the brushes 4 to 15 leave the balance of the contact-blocks.

The mechanism for automatically breaking the circuit may be variously constructed with out departing from the general principle of my invention and may, if desired, be so arranged as not to break the circuit during the operation of cutting in the current.

In Figs. 4 and 5 I have shown the preferred form of construction, in which 58 represents the upper carbon; 57, thelower carbon; 53, the magnetic blow-out coil; 104 105, magnetic poles creating a magnetic field across the face of the lower carbon. 106 represents the stem of the upper carbon, which passes through a hole in the plate 107. This plate normally rests at one edge upon the stop-lug 108 and at the opposite edge upon the end of the lever 109, which lever is pivoted at 110 and provided at its opposite end with an armature 111, adapted to be acted upon by the electromagnets 112, which tilts the lever 109 and lifts the plate 107, which binds upon the stem 106, and thereby lifts the upper carbon and breaks the circuit. As soon asthe circuit is broken the upper carbon and other parts drop back to normal position again ready for use.

The supplemental field-coils 55 serve the double purpose of increasing the strength of the magnets at the instant of cutting in the current, thereby increasing the counter electromotive force in the motor, which materi ally assists in starting the motors, and at shutting off the current in the motors is again cut into circuit, increasing the magnetic densiiy of the field, and thereby increasing the counter electromotive force and reducing the amount of current passing through the motors just prior to the breaking of the circuit.

Having described my invention, What I claim is 1. In a controller for electric motors,a series of stationary contacts; connections leading therefrom to the motor; the field-coils, and the source of electricity; a blow-out coil; a circuit-breaker separate from the controller; a series of sliding contacts adapted to cut the motor into and out of circuit; and means for cutting the blow-out coil into the circuit before breaking the motor-circuit at the sliding contacts.

2. In a controller for electric motors,aseries of stationary contacts; connections leading therefrom to the motor, the field-coils, and the source of electricity; a blowout coil; a circuit-breaker separate from the controller;

a series of sliding contacts adapted to cut the motor into and out of circuit; and means for cutting the blow-out coil and circuit-breaker into circuit before breaking the motor-circuit at the sliding contacts.

3. In acontrollerforelectricmotors,aseries of stationary contacts, connections leading therefrom to the motor, the field-coils, and the source of electricity; a blow-out coil; a circuit-breaker separate from the controller; and a series of sliding contacts of different lengths adapted to connect and disconnect the motor, and in so doing to first cut out the current in its direct path and thereby force it through the blow-out coil and circuit-breaker to break the circuit before contact is broken at the sliding contacts.

4. In a controller for electric motors,a series of stationary contacts; electrical connections leading therefrom to the motors, the field- -coils, and the source of electricity; a magnetic blow-out coil; a supplemental fieldcoil; an automatic circuit-breaker; and a series of sliding contacts of different lengths adapted to make and break the connections to the motor, and in breaking the connections to first cut out the current through the direct path and force it through the blow-out coil, the supplemental field-coil, and the circuitbreaker, substantially as specified.

5. In a controller for electric motors,a series of stationary contacts; electrical connections therefrom to the motor, the field-coils, and the source of electricty; a magnetic blow-out coil; a supplemental field-coil; a circuit-breaker; and a series of sliding contacts of different lengths adapted to make contact between the stationary contacts and to successively cut into the circuit the blow-out coil, the supplemental field-coil, and the circuit-breaker.

6. In combination with a series of electric motors, a series of stationary contacts; electrical connections leading therefrom to the motors, the field-coils, the reversing-switch, and the source of electricity; a magnetic blow-out coil; a series of supplemental fieldcoils; a circuit-breaker; and a series of sliding contacts of different lengths adapted to connect the motors up in series and parallel, and when breaking the circuit to successively cut into the circuit the blow-out coil, the supplemental field-coils, and the circuit-breaker, substantially as specified.

7. In combination with a series of electric motors, a series of stationary contacts; elec trical connections leading therefrom to the motors, the field-coils, and the source of electricity; a magnetic blow-out coil; a series of supplemental field-coils; a circuit-breaker; and a series of sliding contacts adapted to connect the motors up in series and parallel, and When breaking the circuit to successively plunger adapted to act against said cam, and

to force the pawls out of the path of the travcling arm to insure a step-by-step movement of the sliding contacts in one direction; substantially as specified.

In testimony whereof I have atfixed my signature in presence of two witnesses.

DAVID J. I'IAUSS.

\Vitnesses:

C. D. THROCKMORTON, C. \V. MILES. 

